Yellow Chrome

Bright yellow powder pigment.
In 1797 a Parisian chemist, Louis Nicholas Vauquelin isolated natural lead chromate (chrocoite) and called it chrome because of the range of hues that could be derived from it. He named it after the Greek word xpwua, meaning color. The preparation of chromates of lead, specifically chrome yellow was published by Vauquelin in the Annales de Chimie IXX in 1809.
The chrome colors were in use by 1816 but on a limited basis. In 1820, a substantial source of chrome ore was found in North America and large scale production began, j. J. White of Rutherglen, Scotland is known to have produced chrome colors that year. Their excellent hiding power and low cost made them a welcomed alternative to Turner's Patent yellow and orpiment. Chrome yellow cost one shilling per watercolor cake in 1835.Chrome pigments were fast drying in oil and more permanent in oil than in watercolor. The darker shades were more permanent than the lighter ones that tended to fade when exposed to sunlight. The darker shades were known to brown over time). All chrome colors were blackened by sulfur-bearing air and the yellow variety sometimes would turn green when mixed with organic pigments.


Harmful - contains lead.